Electricity restored in Boracay after weekend power outage, says DOE

Power in Boracay Island and nearby towns has been successfully restored as of Monday afternoon, two days after the outage began due to the tripping of the 69-kilovolt (kV) Nabas-Unidos link, the Department of Energy (DOE) said Monday.

According to the DOE, electricity in Boracay was restored at 2:55 p.m. on Monday, September 15, following the overnight safety precautions that paused restoration work due to high tide, to protect frontline crews operating in the conditions. The outage began last Saturday, September 13.

“Safely guided every call we made, including last night’s brief pause during high tide. Power is restored, and our teams remain on site to stabilize the system and complete permanent repairs,” Secretary Sharon Garin said.

This comes as the tripping of the Nabas-Unidos line cut the supply to the Unidos-Caticlan-Malay and Unidos-Boracay lines, which effectively isolated Boracay, Malay, and Busuanga from the grid.

According to the DOE, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO) deployed patrols and repair teams, who traced the fault to damaged underground cables near the Caticlan Airport arrival area.

Moving forward, the DOE said permanent repairs are underway to harden the system and ensure reliability, while the NGCP is advancing the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay Transmission Line Project, ordered for completion in 2025.

“We thank residents, business owners, and visitors for their patience and cooperation. Our linemen, engineers, and partner agencies remain on the ground to monitor, stabilize, and secure a resilient power supply for Boracay,” Garin said. –NB, GMA Integrated News